Council Votes to Resume Green Line Trolley Operations Through September

BY CLARA HELM

San Clemente’s free Green Line trolley that was launched in the spring as a pilot route through the south end of town is continuing to operate this summer after the City Council voted unanimously last month to fund the service until September.

Passengers looking to board the Green Line, which previously operated only on weekends, can now hop on daily as the route runs in conjunction with the Red and the Blue Lines—the city’s existing routes that serve the downtown corridor and north side of town, respectively.

The Green Line largely travels along South El Camino Real, running from the San Clemente Pier to Calafia Beach Park to San Clemente State Beach, and has stops on streets such as Avenida Barcelona and Avenida San Antonio.

Instead of the signature red San Clemente trolleys used for the Red and Blue routes, white shuttles will continue serving as the Green Line vehicles.

In February, the council unanimously voted to pilot the new route, which ran March 11 through May 21. The pilot program was paid for with money from the General Fund.

According to a city staff report, the pilot program completed 9,313 rides during its operation and averaged 19 rides per hour. The Green Line pilot route, the city said, not only met but doubled the ridership goal of the Orange County Transportation Authority for Project V local transit programs.

During the council’s June 20 meeting, Economic Development Officer Jonathan Lightfoot explained the current status of the Green Line and what would be needed for its continued service.

“In order to bring (the Green Line) service back, we would need to bring in a couple of white shuttles, as well as additional contract provisions for the additional hours of operation of those vehicles,” Lightfoot said.

City staff recommended that if the council were to continue the Green Line, LAZ Parking California, LLC should be selected as the service provider. The company already operates the existing trolley routes.

Because the route was initially funded by the city, the council needed to decide the next steps in terms of financing.

Lightfoot mentioned that staff have been in contact with the OCTA, which funds the city’s free trolley program through a Measure V grant.

OCTA, Lightfoot explained, won’t reimburse the city for operations of the Green Line route. Therefore, if the council decided to go forward, the additional trolley route would be fully funded by the city out of the General Fund.

The council was then presented with alternatives on how to proceed with the Green Line.

The options for funding the line from July through September ranged from about $90,000 for weekend service only, to costing just over $200,000 for daily service that coincides with the existing schedules of the Red and Blue Lines.

The council also had the third option to deny the operation of the Green Line during the 2023 summer season. With this option, the council would wait and revisit expanding the Green Line service until the city could apply for additional Measure V grant funds at the end of the year.

Councilmember Rick Loeffler questioned the likelihood of getting grants later.

The city has already submitted a letter to OCTA, according to Lightfoot, and it expects to have a new funding opportunity in the coming months. While the city will apply for the grant at the end of this year, the funding would not be received until July 2024.

Councilmember Victor Cabral commented on the increasing obligations of the city to fund transportation projects.

“It seems like more and more that the obligation of this (public) transportation has fallen on the city,” said Cabral. “We have become the OCTA.”

In response, city staff reemphasized the benefit of a Measure V grant. With the grant, the city’s obligation would be only 10% of funding and OCTA would reimburse 90% of the operation costs.

To the council’s surprise, there were no public comments on the issue of the funding and continuation of the Green Line trolley.

With little debate of the issue by the councilmembers, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock motioned to approve the daily services option at a cost of $201,600. It was then seconded by Councilmember Mark Enmeier, with all councilmembers voting in favor.

The Green Line will operate through Sept. 30, for commuting visitors and residents during the busy summer season. Daily operations for the Red and Blue Lines are scheduled to end Oct. 1. Afterward, Red Line trolleys will continue running on weekends through Dec. 31.

Currently, all routes operate Monday through Friday, from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sundays from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

The city also intends to pursue funding for the new Green Line through OCTA, and if the application is approved, the additional route would return for summer 2024.